The Camera... an important tool of the trade

We have the most miraculous "cameras" built right in. Our eyes! This is where the photography begins... with seeing the world in a way the average person doesn't.

Our eyes and our camera lenses both have the same role... to see a scene.

But there's an huge difference in how the camera's sensor and the brain interprets the information.

Cameras can't capture as wide a range of light that your eyes do. You'll see detail in sky and shadows but your picture will usually 'see' a blank white blob for a sky or solid black shadows.

Your brain interprets the world in 3 dimensions but you camera can only see the information in 2 dimensions.

Your camera lens is very creative. You can pull off some magic tricks by changing focal length, depth of field and focus. Your eyes don't have that flexibility.

Light enters the camera lens and affects the sensor to create an image. With film it's a chemical processes, kind of like your eyes. Light hits the back of the eye and travels through the optic nerve to your brain (lots of chemicals). And, an image is recorded. But the brain takes the process beyond what the camera sensor is capable of.

A photograph is a permanent record of a moment in time.

Your brain has the ability to associate feelings, sounds, smells and even memories that you'll associate with that image, perhaps for your entire life. That's true whether the image is a photograph or just an experience stored in your brain.

Before you pick up your camera...

Photography is an art of observation. It has little to do with
the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them. ~ Elliott Erwitt

Usually, I walk around the entire garden. The first thing I begin to feel is focused and grateful just being there with Nature..

I use my eyes to take preliminary "pictures" and write down notes or make a rough drawing of all the images I want to get. I soak in the energy of this particular space.

My camera comes out once I become calm and centered . Then, my focus is totally on my photography and the garden environment. Focus doesn't apply only to your camera lens... you have to concentrate on what you want to accomplish.

No matter if your camera is digital or film - learn basic photography theory because it applies to both.

Granted, some cameras have more bells and whistles than others! But if you learn your basic photography skills, you'll be able to handle film or digital, and a simple or more complex camera. And just keep in mind that...

Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase. - Percy W. Harris

An excellent photographer will make amazing photographs with a simple, inexpensive camera. But an incompetent photographer will always produce mediocre pictures no matter how how much she dropped on her camera equipment.

Emotion makes a photograph great

One of the most powerful photos of the Vietnam
War was a child running down the road after being burned with Napalm.
This was the photo that played a major role in ending that war.

It was taken by Nick Ut in 1972. Remember when Facebook removed it for nudity just awhile ago? It was very quickly reinstated ... it's an historic photo revealing the atrocities of war.

Okay, so most of us won't stop a war with our photography.

We still must have emotion in all our images. Most of the time, we plan it out. Sometimes, we get super-lucky and an opportunity explodes right in front of our eyes. If you don't learn basic photography and can't react quickly, you'll let that one slip right by. And, from my experience, it'll make you want to cry.

Photography Composition

Beauty can be seen in all things. Seeing and composing the beauty is what separates the snapshot from the photograph. ~ Matt Hardy

One of the best ways to learn photographic composition is to study some of Monet or Van Gogh's pieces. They're treasure troves of ideas.

They applied all of these tools to paint their magnificent canvasses. Use them, and your photos could be works of art, too!

My advice - start at #1. Spend a few days learning about Fibonacci and his Golden Ratio and then practice and play with it.

Take
lots of photos, get them up on your computer monitor and study them. I'm surprised when what I thought would be my brag-able photo turns out to be so disappointing and I trash it. Don't rely on your camera LCD to give you honest feedback.

Join an online group where you can post your photos so other photographers can comment on them. Use their suggestions to improve your photos and always thank people whether you agree with their comments or not.

Look to the Masters to help you learn basic photography.

Study the Masters ... lots of them! Pick your favorites and examine their paintings
(light, composition, perspective). They aren't called the "Masters" for
nothing!

Check out images on the internet or in magazines to see how other
photographers use composition rules.

Keep copies of photos
you really like. See if you can explain why they make you feel happy or sad... or angry. A great photo brings out strong emotions but they don't have to be positive feelings.

What do you do with your images? I hope you don't just store them up there in the cloud!

Share your photos - Facebook, Flickr - show them off to your friends!

Or, get a book made up of your best images. The first book I
made was for my family for Christmas and several years later... I still
love it!

Adobe Lightroom has a module that builds photo books and PDFs? So cool and so easy. And it even sends your book to be printed, like magic, with the click of the mouse.

Make a family calendar with your best images.

Right now I'm planning 12 images for my next calendar. I published the new year's calendar back in September.

I love seeing my favorite photos on my wall every day! From experience, I know family and friends appreciate personal gifts like that.

Last New Year's, I gave out a dozen desk calendars to my family and friends, Every so often, during the year, I get a thank you when they flip to the next month and get a pretty new picture to look at for the next 4 weeks. I'm thrilled that my photos brighten their days.

I shutter to think how many people are underexposed and lacking depth in this field.- Rick Steves

If you don't know who Rick Steves is, he's in the travel business. Started out guiding tourists through Europe in a Volkswagen bus! He's well beyond that now! You'll find him on public TV and in book stores. I've gone on many of his company's European tours...

I loved every moment of them... and his sense of humour!

Exposure is how much light falls on the film or the digital sensor. Just like Goldilocks and the three bears, it has to be "just right"!

Most of the time, your camera's light meter is pretty well on target. It's pretty smart about how much light is right.

Hint - Always have a notebook with you, even after you've put in the work to learn basic photography skills. If you're working on shutter speed, write down the number of the frame and your shutter speed. Why did you choose that speed?

Did your picture turn out the way you thought it would?

Write down your thoughts about your photos in your journal... If you have a photo editing program that shows you the metadata from your digital photos, then it's easy to see the shutter speed, ISO and f-stop. If you don't, writing them down is a good learning tool.

You won't get the metadata if you're shooting film (and some photographers still love film) so keep strict records of every photo.

Camera Modes... Weaning off auto

What are all these different camera modes? They're a bit confusing, especially when you first learn basic photography principles.

Want your camera to run the whole show? Dial AUTO. But I want you to get beyond that!

Program mode gives you a more control... but when you want to get more creative, switch to shutter or aperture priority!

Then there's manual where you're in total control.

Get out your camera and dust off your manual. Let's look at the different camera modes and why you'd choose one over another...

Auto mode Program mode Shutter priority Aperture priority Manual

Professional photographers don't always shoot on Manual.

To learn basic photography you need to know when to use the different camera modes and how to switch quickly between them.

Let's Socialize

All Rights Reserved. Don't steal! If you wish to use a photo or story, please contact me in writing.

I may be an affiliate for providers of some goods
& services mentioned on this website. If I suggest it, I've found the product to be of high quality and I use or have used it myself. I make no guarantees that this productwill serve you as I am not familiar with you or your skill level.